The Secret Life of Trees

It was raining so hard today and the road so treacherous that I turned around and came back home...obviously I didn't make it up to Ma and Pa's.
It was lovely to get back home...get dry (I was rather soaked jumping out of my car to take pics) warm and cozy.....for a change. What a difference from sweltering to light ponchos and jeans.

I have usually got my eye out for that special tree.... the one that stands alone......my eyes love to pick out the lovely patterns of the branches and leaves against the sky and not get mixed up with too many other things that distract.....(but not always).

A friend mentioned to me a while back about Mother trees and the communication of trees in general........I was hooked and started to educate myself about this.
The more I look into the interconnectedness of it all the I am so amazed at this incredible and complex place we have the privilege to share....perhaps we need to take a few tips from our neighbours ....the trees......



Why are trees such social beings? Why do they share food with their own species and sometimes even go so far as to nourish their competitors? The reasons are the same as for human communities: there are advantages to working together. A tree is not a forest. On its own, a tree cannot establish a consistent local climate. It is at the mercy of wind and weather. But together, many trees create an ecosystem that moderates extremes of heat and cold, stores a great deal of water, and generates a great deal of humidity. And in this protected environment, trees can live to be very old. To get to this point, the community must remain intact no matter what. If every tree were looking out only for itself, then quite a few of them would never reach old age. Regular fatalities would result in many large gaps in the tree canopy, which would make it easier for storms to get inside the forest and uproot more trees. The heat of summer would reach the forest floor and dry it out. Every tree would suffer.
Every tree, therefore, is valuable to the community and worth keeping around for as long as possible. And that is why even sick individuals are supported and nourished until they recover. Next time, perhaps it will be the other way round, and the supporting tree might be the one in need of assistance.


From' The Hidden Life of Trees'

by Peter Wohlleben